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Persistent sales rep

Persistent sales rep

Submitted by TeslaNH25 on Fri, 2014-07-25 10:36

Hi,
Do Tesla sales reps get paid on commission? Why else would the sales rep call and/or email me about a dozen times?

I've been to the Tesla store twice: once just me and again with my wife. We love the car except given that's it's very different I've been doing tons of research, forum postings/reading, calling credit unions about loan rates, etc.

I'm 90% sure we will buy an MS 85 but I'm not there yet but I still get called by the rep asking if there are further questions he can answer, etc.

It's about $30,000 more than any car I ever bought so I need to be sure, so this purchase process has taken longer than my corvette or lexus.

I also usually pay cash, but given low rates I see about 1.5% or even less I may finance as it's almost free money.

But I'm still surprised at the constant pressure.

Is thus usual for Tesla?

Thanks
Steve

johncrab |
25 luglio 2014

Quite unusual. I don't believe there is any commission structure involved, so just tell him politely to bugger off and you'll decide in your own good time. He may just be misreading your responses since I doubt there is anything in it for him, personally and he's just trying to be helpful.

SD Supercharger |
25 luglio 2014

Several years ago, when the early Vins were being released, I know the stores/store manager got credit for making sales. I thought this stopped, but there might be some incentive program going on now. Even when there was a metric in place there was no pressure, since the store is generally information based--so this is surprising---where do you live?

mrspaghetti |
25 luglio 2014

@johncrab +1

KevinR.co.us |
25 luglio 2014

@johncrab +1

My experience is they are always trying to be of assistance. Never hard sell.

Anthony J. Parisio |
25 luglio 2014

Steve,
I can't speak about your sales rep. I can talk about mine. I am in EXACTLY the same situation as you. My sales rep has been putting up with me for the past year. I finally have an order in place. There were times of heavy communication from him and times of less communication. However he never forgot me nor did he loose patience with me.

I know it is so very much money but I am convinced it is the right thing to do for soooo many reasons. I hope you don't need a year as I did to realize this.

Best of luck,
Tony

dglauz |
25 luglio 2014

Based on a conversation my spouse had with a manager at a store opening party, the sales reps get a decent salary and a little bone for each sale they facilitate. Not a big bone, but I suppose even a dollar makes a difference for some people. But they are not surviving on commission.
That information was contrary to what we heard from our sales rep when we bought the car where in we wanted to make sure so-n-so got credit for the sale and they said it does not matter because there are no commissions.

carlk |
25 luglio 2014

It's very unusual. I was actually a little disappointed when the store specialist said nothing about purchasing the car after given me the test drive. I was thinking of taking that opportunity to make the purchase decision while wife was there too so I don't need to discuss it with her again. What's even worse is she said nothing afterwards either. I did place the order a month later though.

Webcrawler |
25 luglio 2014

Well, that is their job.

I find that a polite "back off" is sufficient to get any sales person to back down and then there is no issue.

LEvans |
25 luglio 2014

I think he was only trying to help. The people I've encountered are very nice and they present the product and leave you alone.

Maybe he thinks you need more information about something he can help you with but I bet he will stop if you ask him to.

Maybe he used to work for a traditional car dealer and old habits die hard :)

Tâm |
25 luglio 2014

How do they track their commissions?

Do you ask their badge numbers so you can input with your credit card on a Web page order?

Pettifogger.ca.us |
25 luglio 2014

After my sales rep answered some questions at the store and drove a demo car 25 miles from the store to our house to be sure that it fit our driveway and garage, I called him and asked if my next step was to go online and place my order. He said that his store would get "credit" for the sale if he took my order over the phone, so that's what happened. We reviewed the specs and options and that's how the order went down, followed of course by email confirmation. I had no problem completing the order that way, given that the guy made the extra effort of driving to our house, in heavy traffic.

Tâm |
25 luglio 2014

Thanks Pettifogger.

That's how they can claim their credits because they input your order.

Now, that's a well known best kept secret of Tesla commission system.

melfont |
25 luglio 2014

I have become "close" with the manager of the "store" near me. It is my understanding that the sales reps get salary only, no commissions or bonus. There is a friendly competition among the stores to have the highest volume of sales for a given period. No monetary rewards. He has been super responsive to all of my inquiries and test drives for 4 years since my first roadster test drive. When it cam time to order my MC red S85, I did it on his computer as he made recommendations on options. No up-sale, just a discussion of what my objectives were and the best configuration for me. Great experience.

TeslaNH25 |
25 luglio 2014

Thanks for all the great input. The next time he emails or calls me I'll politely tell him that I have all the info he can provide and that I would contact him when I'm ready to move forward.
Thanks
Steve

Tâm |
25 luglio 2014

@melfont

If your sales rep didn't sneak his identifier in when you ordered on the web then it sounds like a anonymous territorial system.

It doesn't matter how (web or in store) or who sold the cars, as long as it's in their sales territory, they'll get credit.

What can they do with those credits?

J.T. |
25 luglio 2014

For 10 credits you can buy a tribble.

AmpedRealtor |
25 luglio 2014

@ TeslaNH25,

I honestly think your Tesla rep is just trying to be helpful. If you've spent any time in the Tesla forums, you've no doubt read about how many of us owners go out of our way to show off the car, give test drives, and what a thrill we get when someone tells us they are going to buy one. There is a certain camaraderie that goes with being a Tesla owner, or prospective owner. There is much good will to go around.

The other aspect is that all of the Tesla employees I've interacted with love their jobs. They are advocates for the technology and the Tesla vision. Don't mistake passion for pressure. Most likely your rep is just crazy about all things Tesla, as are most of us. Enjoy the attention! :)

AndyO |
25 luglio 2014

@J.T. +++ "It's no tribble at all!"

Kapenagary.ca.us |
25 luglio 2014

I live in an area that doesn't have a store but rather a young lady that provides test drives to those who request it. After my drive I asked her if it made a difference if I ordered my car through her or at home on my computer. She said that as long as I used the same email address that I used for my test drive request she would be connected to the sale but there was no commission involved.

It was the most pleasant auto purchase I have ever had. When I asked her about a few of the options she was very honest with her opinion. She wasn't trying to get me to add things that I really didn't want or need. Not having a commission involved with the purchase makes for a more honest buyer/seller exchange.

marchese15 |
25 luglio 2014

I asked the rep if she would get a commission if I had her order the car and she said she would get credit for the sale, what ever that was, she didn't explain and I didn't ask. However she was so awesome that my wife and I decided to go back to the store and let her order it so she got credit. No pressure at all. The best car buying experience that I ever had. Big shout out to Maggie at the Oak Brook, IL store.

jordanrichard |
25 luglio 2014

I too was told that they get credit if the sale is made through the computer in the store. It didn't require me being in the store, so I could and this is what we did, order it over the phone.

I felt that with all the time my sales guy spent with me, mentioning which options that were a waste of money, never talking about price or when was I looking to buy, I felt the proper thing to do was let him get this "credit" for the sale.

keithndeborah |
25 luglio 2014

@J.T.- That's the trouble with tribbles ;)

renwo S alset |
25 luglio 2014

I give tibbles to my kitty every day.

karmamule |
25 luglio 2014

I went in to the Natick MA Tesla store knowing enough to be very intrigued by the car, but firmly of the opinion there was NO way I could afford one, hence it was more of a lark than anything else to test drive.

Of course I immediately fell in love with it, and at the end of the drive I said "That was wonderful, but can never happen, so...." and the salesman re-iterated a few times that the $2500 deposit was completely refundable until confirmed, so why not just try. I'm so very happy he (and my BF who was with me at the time) were persistent enough for me to go ahead with my order.

After a couple more days of financial research and due diligence I realized I *could* make it work and joyfully confirmed, so hurrah for his persistence!

DallasTXModelS |
25 luglio 2014

But it is $30,000 less in gas for any car you have ever bought before. Since you were paying for gas for your other car you obviously don't mind paying $30,000 more to drive your car.
II'd much rather that $30,000 in value go into my car and not the big Oil Companies.

Tâm |
25 luglio 2014

Sooo...

They work hard to earn credits.

Are those the same Green Shield Stamps that I had to work so hard for when I was young?

In that case, 1 down, 1,999 more stamps to fill up the book for your sales rep!

RichardKJ |
25 luglio 2014

After my test drive I emailed the sales rep and asked whether it made a difference if I ordered online or through the store. She said as long as I used the same email address on the order they would get credit for the order.